


S-class

by HazelBeka



Category: Naruto
Genre: Established Relationship, Fade to Black, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Minor Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Sexual References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28271409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazelBeka/pseuds/HazelBeka
Summary: In which Tenzou asserts dominance over a kitten
Relationships: Tenzou/Kawaguchi Rikuo (OC)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 55





	S-class

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stupidbadgers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupidbadgers/gifts).



Tenzou stared at the ball of fluff. Two green eyes stared back.

“Here’s his litter tray,” Iruka said, coming back into the room with yet another box of cat supplies, “and his treats, though don’t give him too many. His food is in that bag over there and he usually likes his breakfast at six o’clock –”

Kawaguchi looked up sharply from where he was kneeling by the carrier case.

“Six o’clock in the _morning_?”

“He’s hardly likely to want breakfast at six in the evening,” Kakashi pointed out. “He’s an early riser, and if you don’t feed him, he _will_ rebuke you sharply.”

Kawaguchi turned to Tenzou. “Breakfast is your job.”

“This isn’t even my house,” Tenzou pointed out. “And Soot’s staying for three whole nights. Maybe I have better things to do than help you cat-sit.”

“Like what?”

“Like sleeping in past six.”

Kawaguchi fixed him with wide pleading eyes, and on seeing that Tenzou was unmoved, turned them on Kakashi instead.

“Tell him he has to help me! I can’t be left unsupervised with adorable baby animals.”

“That’s what I said when you offered to look after him,” Kakashi said. “And you were very insistent that you could handle it.”

“I thought I’d have a helper!”

Iruka stepped between them to fiddle with the cat carrier, and then he lifted Soot out. The kitten gave him a baleful look.

“You’ll do fine,” Iruka said, placing the kitten down on Kawaguchi’s lap. “I wrote everything down so you just need to follow the instructions. Even Kakashi manages to look after him so it can’t be too hard.”

“Hey!”

The kitten and Kawaguchi were both very still, staring at each other. Soot was so black that his nose and mouth were near invisible, only two green eyes peering out of the pile of fluff. Kawaguchi offered his hand for the cat to sniff, which it did without breaking eye contact. Then it turned and gave Iruka another wide-eyed baleful look not unlike the one Kawaguchi had been wearing moments ago.

“See, he likes you!” Iruka said, either ignoring or happily oblivious to the accusing stare. “And we’ll be back to pick him up on Monday night. Thanks for looking after him – it’s been so long since I went to an onsen, I thought we’d never be able to get away now we have a pet.”

Kawaguchi tentatively tried to stroke Soot and looked delighted when the kitten allowed him to. It nuzzled into Kawaguchi’s hand and then shot a look at Iruka as if checking to make sure he realised he was being snubbed. _Take that_ , the look said, _I have a different human now and it serves you right_. Or maybe Tenzou was reading too much into things.

Iruka certainly didn’t seem to think Soot was bearing a grudge for the traumatic ride over in the carrier. He’d slipped his hand into Kakashi’s and was shooting a small, fond smile at him rather than pay attention to Soot’s dramatics.

“We better get going,” he said.

Tenzou had to walk them to the door. Soot was still sulking on Kawaguchi’s lap and being lavished with attention for his pains. As they slipped their shoes back on, Iruka cast one last longing glance back down the hallway.

“I hope Soot doesn’t think we’ve left him forever,” he murmured.

“He’ll be fine,” Tenzou said. “Kawaguchi isn’t quite as useless as he acts.”

“And you’re going to help him,” Kakashi said.

“I never agreed to this.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kakashi said. “It’s boyfriend duty. When they decide they want a pet, you have to adjust to getting your face clawed off and your toes nibbled.”

“Kakashi, don’t talk shit about our child,” Iruka said sharply. “He’ll get a complex.”

“He can’t even hear me!”

“We can hear you,” Kawaguchi called from the lounge. “He’s shocked and offended by your allegations, Kakashi, and is considering a libel lawsuit.”

“Good thing I’m fleeing the country,” Kakashi said evenly. “Tell him I’ll see him in court.”

“He’ll probably settle for a handful of treats,” Iruka said. “But if he doesn’t, I’m on Soot’s side.”

“Well, we better go before this marriage falls apart.”

“We’re not even married!”

“Never have a cat out of wedlock,” Kakashi advised as Tenzou let them out. “It only leads to trouble.”

Iruka smacked him on the arm and then grabbed him by the hand again, and then they were gone and Tenzou was left alone with double the number of little shits that he usually had to deal with.

When he went back into the lounge he found both little shits curled up together on the couch. He stood in the doorway and watched as Kawaguchi stroked the kitten with a small smile lighting up his face. Maybe, Tenzou considered, he’d stick around for a little longer after all. He could always leave if it got more annoying than cute.

Famous last words.

  


* * *

  


It took Soot a little while to realise that his humans had left him, but when he finally realised the depth of their betrayal, he was inconsolable. He hid under the sofa and cried, and would not be lured out by treats or toys or Kawaguchi’s increasingly desperate cajoling.

“Let him get it out of his system,” Tenzou advised. “He’ll come out when he gets hungry.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” Kawaguchi asked, lying on the floor and trying to spot the place where Soot was huddled. “What if he stays under there forever and Iruka murders me in my sleep as retribution? Or,” he said with sudden horror, sitting up, “what if Soot doesn’t like me anymore?”

Tenzou crossed the room to ruffle his hair and Kawaguchi leaned his cheek against Tenzou’s thigh. “Then I’ll fight him for you.”

Kawaguchi snorted. “My hero.”

“Seriously though,” Tenzou said, “maybe we should go out and do the shopping. He might feel better if he can explore the house without two scary strangers around.”

“You want to leave him alone?” Kawaguchi asked doubtfully.

They both looked at the couch, which was still crying.

“We can leave out some toys for him,” Tenzou suggested. “And set up the litter tray and some water. There’s not much we can do for him when he’s hiding.”

“I guess,” Kawaguchi said. “If we’re quick. I still feel like a monster.”

“If this turns out to be your gateway drug to true villainy then I take full blame for leading you down a dark path.”

Kawaguchi reached up, and Tenzou took his hand and helped him to his feet.

“Just don’t tell Iruka,” Kawaguchi said very seriously.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  


* * *

  


Soot stayed hidden for the rest of the afternoon, although when they returned from the shop Tenzou did notice some mess around the water bowl that meant he’d come out for at least a little while. The crying had stopped by then, which was a relief. Even Tenzou had felt a tug in his heart, and he didn’t generally consider himself much of an animal person. Not compared to Kakashi with his excessive amount of dogs, or his teammates, who could barely pass a pet shop without dragging him inside to coo over the baby animals.

Yet even in his absence, Soot still managed to corral Kawaguchi’s attention, who spent half the afternoon trying to coax him out from under the sofa and the other half reading through Iruka’s instructions. They were very detailed instructions, covering several pages and three post-it notes. Tenzou had considered going home, but Kawaguchi chose to read through the instructions while sitting in his lap, and boyfriends were like kittens in the respect that once they’d chosen to curl up on you, it was illegal to make them move.

“It’s almost Soot’s dinner time,” Kawaguchi informed him as he turned a page.

“It’s nearly ours too. Want me to cook? I’ll put some food out for Soot too.”

Kawaguchi slid out of his lap, looking instantly regretful that he’d done so, and Tenzou took the chance to get up before he was pinned down again.

In the kitchen, Tenzou opened a tin of cat food and put Soot’s dish down near the door. Then he pulled some vegetables out of the fridge and was just picking up a knife to start chopping when he felt a second presence enter the room. Despite how quietly it moved, he was fairly certain it wasn’t the cat, and when Kawaguchi’s arms slunk around his waist his suspicions were confirmed.

“You’ve been cuddled up to me for half an hour,” Tenzou said. “It can’t possibly be ‘pay attention to Kawaguchi time’ again already.”

“But I was reading,” Kawaguchi said, pressing himself against Tenzou’s back and resting a chin on his shoulder.

“You realise I’m in the middle of something.”

“I’m not stopping you. I’m just offering moral support.”

Tenzou hummed sceptically but starting peeling the first potato. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to cook with a boyfriend clinging to him. He was starting to get pretty good at it. But he stopped mid-peel when soft lips pressed against the sensitive nape of his neck.

“Why don’t you go bother the kitten some more,” he suggested, which earned him a nip beneath his ear.

“Don’t tell me a few small kisses are too much for you,” Kawaguchi said, a pout in his voice. “I can’t believe my own boyfriend is trying to send me away when I’m showering him with affection.”

“Why do you only feel affectionate when I’m doing something else?”

“I just love a man who can cook,” Kawaguchi sighed. “Seeing you in the kitchen turns me on.”

Tenzou snorted and was about to turn his attention back to the potato when Kawaguchi pressed an open-mouthed kiss to his neck. He trailed slow kisses down towards Tenzou’s shoulder and slipped a hand up under Tenzou’s shirt, his skin warm against Tenzou’s stomach.

“That’s…really distracting,” Tenzou said.

“We could always eat late tonight,” Kawaguchi murmured. He ran a tongue along the shell of Tenzou’s ear and pressed their bodies closer together. Tenzou slowly put down the potato.

“Couldn’t this wait until…” he tried one last time, but then Kawaguchi caught his earlobe gently between his teeth, and Tenzou was man enough to admit when he had lost.

He turned around in the circle of Kawaguchi’s arms and kissed the smug smile off his boyfriend’s face. Kawaguchi caught him by his belt loops and tugged him gently towards the kitchen door, never breaking the kiss, stepping carefully backwards into the hallway.

There was a petulant meow from somewhere near their feet and Kawaguchi broke away from him and looked down. Soot was sitting in the hallway, watching them with acute disapproval.

“Oh, he came out!” Kawaguchi immediately crouched down and extended his hand for Soot to sniff. Soot bypassed it and stalked right up to butt his head against Kawaguchi’s ankle.

Tenzou ran a hand through his hair and sighed loudly. “Really? Now? He wants attention _now_?”

“Aww, don’t be like that. Maybe he got lonely.”

Tenzou eyed the kitten resentfully as Kawaguchi scooped it up into his arms. Soot allowed this, and Tenzou knew it was illogical to think it was smug about cockblocking him, but it sure as hell felt like it.

“Are you seriously ditching me for the cat?” he asked. “After you went to all that effort to seduce me out of the kitchen.”

Kawaguchi caught his eye and smirked. “It didn’t take that much effort. Barely any at all.”

“You’re as bad as the cat,” Tenzou grumbled. “You want attention, then you don’t, then you do. And always at the most inconvenient times.”

Kawaguchi kissed him on the cheek, as though that could make up for the sex they’d _almost_ had.

“Guess you’ll have to stay over after all,” he said, and Tenzou suddenly wondered if he and Soot had worked together to pull this whole thing off. Surely it wasn’t possible. And yet.

He smacked Kawaguchi on the ass as he headed back into the kitchen and took a small amount of satisfaction at his gasp.

  


* * *

  


Soot spent the rest of the evening glued to Kawaguchi’s side, to Kawaguchi’s delight and Tenzou’s mild jealousy. Bedtime couldn’t come soon enough. As soon as the clock struck ten, Tenzou decided it was late enough. Surely the kitten must be tired too, and there was no way he was going to let it fall asleep on Kawaguchi’s lap, where it was currently curled up and enjoying some of the attention that should rightly be Tenzou’s.

To assert his dominance, he simply grabbed Kawaguchi by the chin, turned his head and kissed him. It was not a chaste kiss, and Kawaguchi’s surprised noise quickly turned into a very different kind of sound as he melted into it. An offended paw landed on Tenzou’s thigh, and he took advantage of Kawaguchi’s state of distraction to nudge the kitten away. Its claws hooked into the fabric of his pants but thankfully not his skin.

“Put the cat where it’s going to sleep and come to bed,” Tenzou murmured against Kawaguchi’s lips.

Kawaguchi gave a hum of agreement. “Iruka didn’t give us a cat bed,” he said, glancing down at Soot. “Apparently he sleeps in their bed with them.”

“He’s _not_ coming into the bedroom,” Tenzou said flatly. “I have rights. I was here first.”

Kawaguchi laughed and kissed him again. “He’ll have to make do with the couch,” he said. “It’s soft enough.”

Soot was still trying his best to bury his claws in Tenzou’s leg, and Tenzou picked him up, carefully unpicking the tiny knives from his pants before standing and depositing the kitten on the couch cushion. Soot mewled in quiet fury as Kawaguchi also stood before he could reclaim his lap.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Kawaguchi told him, “you’ve gotta sleep out here. My bed is an adult only zone when Tenzou’s staying over.”

“Which is going to be every night until you’re gone,” Tenzou added – not that he was petty. He was being a supportive boyfriend and helping Kawaguchi take care of the cat. That was all.

Kawaguchi rewarded him by taking his hand and leading him towards the bedroom with a smile.

Sadly, Soot did not get the hint. He dropped down from the sofa and scurried after them, complaining loudly at being left behind. Kawaguchi hesitated, but Tenzou was not allowing this to happen again. He scooped Kawaguchi up into his arms, carried him into the bedroom and then shut the door with his hip, right in Soot’s face.

“Tenzou!” Kawaguchi was laughing but also still staring at the door. “That was so rude!”

“It was rude for him to follow us,” Tenzou countered. He carried Kawaguchi over to the bed and dropped him unceremoniously onto it before pulling off his shirt and flinging it aside.

“You’re so unromantic,” Kawaguchi sniggered, but he didn’t complain when Tenzou climbed onto the bed and started kissing his neck.

An angry mewling started outside the door. Tenzou glared at it.

“We are never getting a pet,” he said. “How do they put up with it?”

“He sounds so sad,” Kawaguchi sighed, shifting a little under Tenzou. “Maybe we should do something about him first? I don’t know if I can have sex with him making all that noise.”

Tenzou firmly cupped his cheek and turned his face so their gazes met. “I guess I’ll just have to make sure you’re louder than he is.”

He kissed Kawaguchi before he could protest, and there were no more objections after that.

  


* * *

  


In the morning, Tenzou was woken at six on the dot by a scratching at the bedroom door. Kawaguchi was nestled into his side, still deeply asleep, and Tenzou slid carefully out from under him, bending down to press a soft kiss to his temple before slipping out of the bed and pulling on a pair of pyjama pants. Then he opened the door and looked down at the accusatory ball of fluff.

“Joke’s on you,” he said quietly. “I’m a morning person.” He stepped over Soot and went into the kitchen, stretching before grabbing another tin of food and scooping some into Soot’s bowl.

The cat hadn’t followed him, despite the smell of breakfast, and Tenzou, following a suspicion that he’d just been played, went back into the bedroom.

Soot was curled up on the pillow beside Kawaguchi’s head. He looked up, caught Tenzou’s eye, and flicked his tail smugly. Kawaguchi hadn’t stirred.

Tenzou left the door ajar and slid back into the bed, snaking an arm around Kawaguchi’s waist, who woke up just enough to snuggle back into him. Soot eyed Tenzou over Kawaguchi’s head, but Tenzou was still satisfied enough from his victory the night before not to kick him out.

“You can stay,” Tenzou murmured. “I’m not a total monster. Just remember who’s boss around here and we’re golden.”

Soot regarded him with a haughty look. 

_Challenge accepted_.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Badger! Have some Tenguchi fluff to round out your day~
> 
> Soot is Badger's character who shows up in several of her fics, but if you want to read kakairu + kitten content (and frankly who doesn't want that?) I would highly recommend [Soot's origin story](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26437825).


End file.
